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It is often assumed that the big theological debates of the 18th century did not involve the nature of God. But in many ways, the resurgence of Arianism, the growth of Deism, and the emergence of Socinianism (or what some later called Unitarianism) ensured that questions regarding the being of God were central to theological reflection in the long eighteenth century from the 1680s to the 1830s. This collection of essays, most of which were originally prepared for a conference sponsored by the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, examines this discussion particularly as it occurred within the ranks of the British and Irish Particular Baptists. This collection is an essential resource for understanding the heart of Particular Baptist doctrine in this era and why this Christian community stayed true to classical Christian orthodoxy.

History tends to remember the pioneers. This is understandable, for they enter the story first. They blaze the trail that others follow. In the case of Protestant missions, this honor goes to William Carey (1761-1834) who is often considered the "father of modern missions."[1] Consequently, numerous biographies have been written about him in his own day and ours.[2] But Carey's life work took place in the context of a bustling mission comprised of numerous other missionaries sent out by the Baptist Missionary Society (BMS), Asiatic missionaries of mixed native and European ancestry, and native Indian evangelists and pastors. And at the center of this missiological orbit was not Carey alone, but a fellowship of three-the famed Serampore Trio-consisting of Carey and two other seldom-mentioned colleagues, Joshua Marshman (1768-1837) and William Ward (1769-1823). These enjoyed an amazing twenty-three years of harmonious service together in the Serampore Mission and rarely did any­t­hing without consulting each other.

Robert Hall (1760-1831) became a prominent figure in Nonconformist and wider circles during the first three decades of the nineteenth century. He was preeminently a preacher endowed with unusual powers of oratory which captivated his congregations in Cambridge, Leicester, and Bristol. He was brought up in a Particular Baptist environment (his own father was the "father figure" in the Northamptonshire Baptist Association). However, he did not consistently follow in those footsteps. The Theology of Robert Hall Jr. gives an account of how he espoused universal atonement, how his doctrine of justification appeared more Baxterian than biblical, and how he strenuously promoted open communion, together with his pragmatic approach to ecclesiology. Hall represented a generation of Baptists who were departing from their Calvinistic roots, a departure which sadly continued at an even more rapid rate following his death.